IP and optical network automation
Simplify and transform the way you build, control and operate your network
Communication service providers (CSPs), webscale companies and enterprises are looking to build more programmable, responsive, efficient and reliable IP and optical networks. Network automation is a critical component for achieving this goal.
The central role that networks play in the digital world is driving the need for automation. Today, almost every aspect of human life relies to some extent on digital technologies. At the center of all this activity, the network is expected to respond instantaneously, scaling to meet petabyte shifts in demand, and providing the high levels of service reliability required by the many mission-critical processes that rely on it. It is simply not possible to meet these response times and other rigorous demands in the network by relying on manual processes.
What is IP and optical network automation?
IP and optical network automation is the use of software tools and processes to configure and manage network devices and services in an automated and programmatic way. Automation reduces or eliminates the need for manual intervention, which increases the productivity of operations teams across a wide range of tasks. These include provisioning new devices, configuring network services, monitoring and optimizing network and service performance, and troubleshooting problems.
There are several different levels of network automation. Many repetitive and time-consuming tasks can be automated using basic scripting or workflows, which speed up execution and reduce the risk of human error. More advanced levels of network automation involve continuously monitoring and adjusting the network to maintain optimal performance of services. Programmable automation tools allow network operators to automate custom procedures and methods. The most sophisticated level of network automation involves artificial intelligence and machine learning, which can automate complex activities that require fast decisions, or tasks that are too information-heavy for humans to process.
- What is IP and optical network automation?
- The benefits of IP and optical network automation
- Best starting point for network automation
- Bring automation to the entire network lifecycle
- What do you need to automate networks?
- What are the key network automation technologies?
- Why choose Nokia for network automation?
- Customer success stories
- Related topics
- Related products and solutions
- Learn more about Network automation
What are the benefits of IP and optical network automation?
Improved network services agility
Rapidly deploy network services and updates and respond faster to changing customer demands.
Greater operational efficiency
Lower the cost of repetitive tasks and simplify complex operations.
Increased availability
Reduce human errors and system outages and deliver consistent, predictable outcomes.
Quantitative benefits of IP network automation
A study from Analysys Mason based on real operator data
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What’s the best starting point for network automation?
The best way to build a network automation roadmap is to focus on the business outcomes you are trying to achieve. Examining and prioritizing these outcomes will help you determine what to automate and when. Some key business outcomes to consider include:
Accelerating revenue growth
Automate equipment configuration and network service provisioning so you can respond to customer needs faster.
Protecting revenue and avoiding losses
Automate network and service assurance to guarantee performance.
Getting the most from network assets and investments
Automate traffic optimization to maximize network performance and utilization.
Reducing OPEX
Automate network lifecycle management so you can complete operational tasks faster, more efficiently and without errors.
When you have identified your automation priorities, you can begin to adopt network automation in achievable, incremental steps that maximize return on investment.
Bring automation to every stage of the network lifecycle
IP and optical network automation solutions helps you resolve pain points at every stage of the network lifecycle, from accelerating service delivery to improving performance and streamlining operational tasks.
Service fulfillment
- Your pain points: Manual service deployment and migration processes are time consuming and error prone.
- Solution: Automated service provisioning with enhanced service-level monitoring and visibility accelerates time to market and puts network services on optimal resource paths to meet your bandwidth, latency and resiliency targets. Automated operations simplify service update, migration and deletion.
Device lifecycle management
- Your pain points: Manual device installation and commissioning, software upgrades and backups require expertise and time.
- Solution: Zero-touch provisioning with self-discovery and configuration and automated operations based on predefined templates and workflows simplify equipment lifecycle management.
Network and service assurance
- Your pain points: Manual network and service assurance processes are usually reactive and involve difficult maintenance, investigation and troubleshooting tasks.
- Solution: Automated network and service assurance with supervision, customizable reporting and prediction tools speeds up maintenance activities. It also helps you quickly troubleshoot network problems and pinpoint the root causes of network issues.
Network and traffic optimization
- Your pain points: It can be difficult to make efficient use of available resources while maintaining service-level agreements (SLAs).
- Solution: Centralized network resource control with real-time visibility helps you increase network utilization while improving service performance.
What do you need to automate IP and optical networks?
What are the key network automation technologies?
The introduction of network automation is a continuous activity that depends on significant technology innovations. This evolution is driven by a fundamental change from static, hardware-centric networks to dynamic, open and programmable software-centric networks. The increasing use of software tools, featuring less proprietary and domain-specific functionality, and providing abstraction of network complexity, fosters network innovation and enables higher levels of automation. This leads to more efficient operations and faster service implementation with optimized real-time performance.
What is software defined networking?
Software defined networking (SDN) makes it possible to separate the control and data planes, which enables you to manage the network more efficiently and with greater flexibility. SDN uses a centralized controller that communicates with the network to establish routes dynamically, improve network performance, and optimize network usage in real time as traffic or network resources change.
What is intent-based networking?
Intent-based networking employs a declarative approach and model-driven principles to abstract network service characteristics, simplify network and service management and decouple network innovations from services evolution. Declarative programming drives operations, enabling operators to focus on end results instead of how to get there. Interaction with network elements is mediated by standard interfaces and data models for multivendor support and rapid onboarding of new equipment types.
What is cloud native networking?
Cloud native networking uses IT-centric tools and techniques to operate the network like software. Every aspect of the network is eventually going to be coded and programmable, making it easily consumable. Using common tools across all ICT infrastructure (apps, compute, storage and networking) with limited per-domain specialization reduces skillset requirements, fosters innovation and enables greater collaboration. Agile NetDevOps processes with continuous integration and deployment are common practice for faster onboarding of new technologies and network functions.
Why choose Nokia for IP and optical network automation?
Nokia is the right partner for your journey to network automation. We can help you build extremely agile, efficient and reliable IP and optical networks using best-in-class management, IT solutions, domain expertise and design practices.
With our solutions, you can maximize network performance, lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and succeed in the ever-changing digital economy by using automation to:
- Improve the customer experience and keep up with evolving demands with fast, agile service delivery.
- Reduce the operational complexity that comes with innovative, flexible technologies such as virtualization and containerization.
- Meet the requirements of 5G, IoT and mission-critical services by taking capacity, low latency and availability to new levels.
Offering leadership in IP and optical networking in combination with algorithms and expertise from Nokia Bell Labs, we are in a unique position to help you transform your IP-optical network.
Customer success stories
Automating IP services delivery over a multivendor network
du in the Emirates gains productivity with network automation
SDN Communications and NSP
LG U+ and Nokia NSP
Telefonica: Using Nokia Deepfield for automation
Learn more about Network automation
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